Research Interests

Governance

Bio

Dr. Levitt's research program develops theory, methods, and tools to design organization structures and governance regimes for project and matrix organization structures in construction and other project-based industries.

There is currently a huge, unmet demand for civil infrastructure projects --roads, railroads, ports, airports, water and sanitation systems-- in both developing and developed countries. Projects to develop and operate civil infrastructure increasingly involve private, public and NGO participants from multiple countries, resulting in clashes between participants' values, cultural norms and laws that can create high institutional costs, and attendant delays.

Dr. Levitt's current research, conducted through the Global Projects Center (GPC), which he founded and directs, is aimed at developing new financing, governance and organizational approaches to enhance the long-term financial, environmental and social sustainability of these critically needed, but institutionally challenging, projects. In recognition of this work, he was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger as a Commissioner of the California Public Infrastructure Advisory Commission (PIAC) in 2008 and served as a Commissioner of PIAC from 2008-2013.

Dr. Levitt founded and serves as Academic Director of the Stanford Advanced Project Management (SAPM) executive education certificate program. SAPM has awarded more than 6,000 certificates to mid-career professionals in a wide variety of industry sectors since its inception in 1999.

Dr. Levitt was elected a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.